With a bit of ingenuity and effort, many everyday items can have a life well beyond their intended use. Reusing bags and containers not only extends the product’s utility, it also delays the item from joining the solid waste stream.

Here are a few suggestions from the Environmental Protection Agency for reusing items that might normally end up in the trash:

l Paper and plastic bags: Keep bags provided by the grocery store or other retail outlet for use on the next shopping trip. If you don’t have a bag, take a string, mesh or canvas tote bag to the store.

l Scrap paper and envelops: Use both sides of a piece of paper for writing notes before recycling it. Reuse gift boxes, ribbons, and larger pieces of wrapping and tissue paper. Consider giving colored paper and egg cartons to schools, day-care center or senior citizens facilities for use in arts and crafts projects.

l Cloth and Fabrics: Consider cutting up old draperies, bedding, clothing, towels and cotton diapers to use as patchwork, rags, doll clothes or rag rugs.

l Packaging material: Reuse newspaper, boxes, packaging “peanuts” and “bubble wrap” to ship packages. Old brown paper bags work well as wrapping paper for parcels.

l Containers: Reuse empty glass and plastic jars, milk jugs, coffee cans, dairy tubs and other similar containers to store leftovers, or to store buttons, nails and thumbtacks. An empty coffee can also find a second life as a flowerpot.